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Quality features of a new Green Built or Energy Rated home will last a lifetime. You will not only enjoy the savings on your energy bill, you will be leaving a cleaner earth for your children and grand children to live on.

The Energy Rated program and Green building is an approach to building a new home that is different than just building to code. The custom design and construction of your new home rate with choosing the right location on your building site and continues with different features that will make your new Energy Rated or Green Built home energy efficient and enjoyable to live in. Both Energy Rated and a Green Built home are alternate methods of build with energy savings in mind.

Many questions come to mind about building and here is a list of a few things to consider when building an Energy Rated or Green Built Home.

Does it cost more to build?What is Energy Rated?What is Green Building?What type of designs are available?What is different?What looks different?Is the home certified Energy Efficient?Will I save energy over a standard home?

Cost and Savings

Many times the cost of adding energy related items to your home will save you real dollars each and every month in your heating and cooling bills.

There are some major items that you can add to the standard home that will help conserve energy for may years to come. The simple act of changing the windows to Low-E, or adding insulation to the basement, or sealing the exterior floor exterior with foam, or caulking the plate line along the exterior and exterior corner with adhesive drywall caulk. This and many other methods of sealing the building will help lower the energy bill for a home.

We all have been doing some of the things for a long time, but Green Building and the ENERGY Rated program is a higher standard massage chair for all homes. Green Built Homes and the ENERGY Rated programs are winning programs for all of us.

When you think about saving energy, you have to think about the total payment for the home. It is just more than the mortgage payment that makes up the total payment for a home. Energy is just going to cost more and more each year. We need to find ways to conserve and both Green Built Homes and ENERGY Rated will lead all of us to conserve. Saving energy does add to the bottom line of building. When you can see a lower energy bill for the home, it saves you real dollars each month.

When building a home, we inevitably impact the environment. Green Building incorporates green resources into every step of construction. We develop, design, construct and help make many decisions that positively impact the energy efficiency of a new home.

We have all been using many Green methods in our homes, but we need to focus our attention on how we can improve the homes that we are building. The Energy Rated program is only part of the method that we need to use. As we all know, there are many ways of building a home, just like there are many ways to make each home Green.

Easy to Exceed the Building Code

It should be easy to build energy efficient homes that are better than the building code and ENERGY Rated homes is a great program that helps all of us. Energy efficient homes will add value as well as save energy dollars each month. With the current economic uncertainty an energy efficient homes is a great way to save money on your energy bill for not only heating but in the summer months when you use your A/C unit. There are many options available when you build energy efficient home and you can exceed the building code at the same time.

One of the easiest ways to conserve energy is to us passive solar day light. When considering where to build your home, consider where you place most of your windows. When you consider windows, make sure you use Low-E glass. Another method of conserving energy is to install the heating / cooling system ductwork inside the home. You should never allow a ductwork jumper or any ductwork in the attic space.

One area of construction that is still not used today is using drywall behind the bathtub, shower or whirlpool tub. Some builders just leave the insulation exposed. When you cover the wall with drywall first, you stop the airflow into the room. Your need six sides to the wall to stop air flow. The bottom line is that you save energy with this simple method of construction.

Grey Water Systems
Shower, laundry and bath water can be used to sustain a vibrant healthy garden. With careful planning, an automatic grey water system can be installed to disperse water to different areas of your garden. All you have to do is decide how much water you want and where. The tank that we recommend stores approximately 20 litres of water before the pump cuts in and disperses water into your garden. When the allotted water has been used, the system automatically changes to the next line and so on. Its great and a very efficient, low maintenance product that is surprisingly affordable. Green healthy gardens are good karma.

Rainwater Tanks
From 500lt to 100,000lt tanks can be designed and installed. The tanks harvest rain water using pressure sealed storm-water pipes that can even be made to flow uphill! We recommend connecting toilets and connecting a line direct to the kitchen into a filter system through to the tap at the sink. Pump running costs and water costs make these measures budget conscious while doing something for our environment and ourselves. Mmmm clean filtered rain water to drink and to cook our fresh foods in.

Other Water Savers
Low flow taps with aerators that make it hard to tell that they are low flow. Shower heads which reduce flow to 10lts per minute which still provide that all over wet feeling, (as recommended by South East Water). Plant hardy drought-tolerant plants or grasses that do well in all climates with a little bit of planning. Create natural water flows with rain gardens and tiered landscaping by understanding that water flows downhill.

Solar Chimneys
What are they? Basically they are a higher roofed area within a house that can be vented. When the hot air rises and ventilation is provided at ground level this draws air through the house and creates what is called, “Passive Cooling”. No electricity required unless you want electric opening louvres at the top of your chimney. In with the fresh and out with the hot stale air.

Environmental Heating and Cooling

Passive Cooling
This is a form of cooling your house down without using high energy cooling devices. It can be as simple as planting a line of trees to keep that hot afternoon sun off your house. Plant deciduous trees out the front for shade in summer and when they drop their leaves in autumn they provide warm sun in winter and mulch for gardens. It can be installing the correct windows or a solar chimney for air circulation. Maybe a water feature at the front entrance that can act as a natural evaporative cooler as air flows over the water and into your home. Passive cooling is only using nature’s gifts of water, wind and plants.

Zoned Heating & Cooling
This is where we break your house up into different zones that require heating and cooling on demand. Good door seals and ducted pipes fitted with zone control motors that can close off set areas saves power and prevents bedrooms being too hot and stuffy. Allowing you the ability to open windows in bedrooms while the rest of the house is being heated.

Insulation
Well, we all know what insulation is . . . it’s the stuff that keeps the hot/ cold out and hot/cool in. It normally does this by creating a trapped still air pocket that slows down and minimises heat/cold transfer. Some forms also reflect direct heat/cold transmissions. It is great stuff that can be added to your home to achieve different “Energy Ratings”. The higher the rating the better. This saves on heating and cooling costs because inside the house the temperature is kept more stable.

Volatile Organic Compound (Harmful Vapors)
VOC are the harmful vapors that are emitted from every day products. In the home we have some of the worst products that omit harmful vapors. Oil paints and water base paints are put together using solvent bases. Hence the initial smell that gradually fades until we don’t realise that it is still giving off vapors, but in fact goes on emitting for years to come. Some carpets are made using petrol chemical derivatives and harmful glues. Floor polishes like poly-urethane where the vapors are so strong that the vapors will actually congeal in water. Sheet flooring, cabinetry sheets, M.D.F sheeting and mouldings also omit harmful vapors. We can provide you with alternatives to these products which come with far less harmful vapors. Fresh air in the home with no harmful fumes.

Non Asthmatic House
Where floor boards replace carpets or where small amounts of pure wool carpets are used. VOC’s are reduced or eliminated as much as possible. An ioniser can be incorporated in the ducted heating cooling system to significantly free dust particles in the air. Fresh water and good cross ventilation for removal of stagnant stale air. Use of soaps and cleaning products that are recommended for grey water systems are safer and less harmful to our bodies. Fruit and vegetables washed in filtered rain water with no added chemicals, pesticides,algaecides, salts etc. This gives that sensitive body a chance to grow straight and true.

Landscape Designs
From hardy plants and grasses to using/ diverting natural run-off water. Incorporating rain gardens and landscape tiers to use water more than once!

Other Energy Savers
Different forms of lighting and positioning. Zoning of areas in the home for cooling and heating. Solar power/ hot water, are they right for you? Ducted heating and cooling, is this efficient? Thermal mass! Can we use this as an asset? The list of options keeps growing on a daily basis.

Our Construction Services

At DTZ, we provide competitively priced and high quality new homes, extensions, renovations, 2nd storys, and units. Our experienced team works towards your goals and are creative, hardworking and reliable. We build to great standards in a safe manner and are proud to hand you the keys.

Some of Our Specialised Services Include

New Homes – Do you require a new home which can incorporate the long list of our healthy /sustainable inclusions? We can design a house plan or modify your existing plans to suit your needs. Most house designs are flexible enough to include some green healthy building options so if you already have plans we can help you there as well.

Dual Occupancy – We can organize the sometimes tricky task from planning to completion. There are certain criteria that must be adhered to regarding land size, design and different council requirements. Generally a minimum 300 m2 available space. There is only one way to find out, just give us a call.

Townhouses & Units – Whether it’s building units to rent or your own home we can help you utilise the space that is available to best suit your needs.

Extensions – Ground & Second Storey Do you need more space? Do you need that extra bedroom or that second bathroom? Making space with extensions is what we have been doing for 30 + years and we are good at it. Up-stairs? Not a problem.

Universal Access – We can help you alter your existing or build a new home to incorporate the universal access that you need for independent living. From wheel chair access to lowering light switches we can help you organise what you need. You can grow old in your home comfortably.

Financing your Construction

We can save you money! We are living in an environment where resources, such as water and electricity are challenged to keep up with demand. This means we will be experiencing higher service costs on an annual basis. Smart choices now can reduce your reliance on these services and reduce the impact later.

Do you need help with design? From Architect designs to standard no frill plans we can connect you to the right people to get that project started. You can decide what green solutions are right for you and your budget.

Finance Available Who do you call? We can organise everything to get you started. Submit your name and details, with your approval, can be passed onto our finance people to see what the best available options are. You’ll soon be provided with several offers and possibilities.

The services we provide meet the highest personal health and safety and environmental protection standards.

Client satisfaction is the ultimate goal of DTZ’s delivery model. To help us achieve this goal, we are focused on ensuring the services we deliver and the products we manufacture meet the quality requirements of our clients around the world.

Through our continual investment in quality, DTZ has achieved a global ISO9001 registration under a single certificate, providing our clients with a consistent outcome wherever we do business.

We continually improve our services, products and processes using our quality management system and Six Sigma methodology, and by implementing changes required to maintain registration to the ISO quality standard.

To deliver continuous improvement, we implement an integrated, global approach that recognizes the interaction of every function and every activity we undertake. By integrating systems which increase the effectiveness of our people, our ideas, our processes and our suppliers, we strive to keep defects, complaints and impact on the environment to an absolute minimum.

With an increasing focus on sustainability from our clients, we recognize the importance of working together to achieve our shared goals.

DTZ’s partnerships have always been a key element of our business model and today those partnerships are as important as ever. Our partners bring specific expertise including unique technology, process knowledge and skill sets, which combined with DTZ’s experience and capabilities, allow us to deliver innovative solutions to sustainability challenges.

DTZ is strongly committed to conducting all of its business activities in accordance with the highest ethical standards and business practices. We strive to achieve the highest standards of behaviour and accountability and demand that our people are honest in their dealings with each other and all external counterparties. Our people are required to:

Comply with all laws

Avoid actual and potential conflicts of interest

Refrain from giving or receiving improper payments, benefits or other gains

Provide quality service and good stewardship of assets to all stakeholders

We maintain a zero tolerance approach to any unethical behaviour from our people and maintain rigorous internal processes to ensure that our employees adhere to the laws, regulations and industry codes of conduct that support good business practices.

The foundations for ethical and responsible business practices are embedded in our values of integrity and honesty and openness in communications.

The framework to promote these practices across our businesses is reflected in our Code of Ethics, Global Fraud and Anti-Bribery Policy and our Whistleblower Policy.

Exceptional Client Service

The diversity of DTZ’s client base demands a multi-stakeholder approach involving collaboration internally, between our businesses and our people, as well as externally, with our technology and joint venture partners and our suppliers, to deliver outcomes which exceed our clients’ expectations.

DTZ has a highly diverse client base including government agencies, blue-chip corporates, private enterprise and public institutions, operating in many different and distinct geographical regions around the world.

We are focused on ensuring we fully understand our clients and their objectives as building enduring relationships not only enhances the services we provide but drives innovation and ideas which can be leveraged across our entire business.

We are not afraid to ask the difficult questions. We maintain an open and direct dialogue with our clients during and beyond a specific engagement. We also carry out studies to determine the satisfaction level of our clients, detect areas for improvement and identify opportunities where we can bring further value to enhance and sustain our clients’ assets

DTZ Sweden is the first international real-estate adviser in Sweden with an environmental management system that is ISO 14001 certified.

DTZ Sweden recognizes that its business activities directly and indirectly impact the environment. It is our intention to operate our business in a manner sensitive to the environment, conserve natural resources, reduce waste, reduce our carbon footprint, and prevent pollution to land, water and air. DTZ Sweden regards the promotion of an environmental strategy as a key element in operating a successful business. DTZ Sweden appreciates that it has a responsibility to work mutually with internal and external stakeholders to deliver continual improvements in environmental performance.

How we ensure that our environmental objectives are met

To ensure that these objectives are met, DTZ Sweden will:

implement all reasonable measures to comply with relevant environmental legislation and other requirements.

strive to make continual improvements in environmental performance, including the establishment of relevant objectives and targets.

provide adequate resources, including the maintenance of working groups, to enable environmental objectives to be developed and delivered.

DTZ as part of the Sherry FitzGerald Group in Ireland was instrumental in establishing the ‘Amawele’ initiative, which means ‘twin’.

Mark FitzGerald was the driving force behind Amawele. As a parent in Kildare Place National School in Dublin, and from his children’s involvement in a twinning project, he saw the potential from Irish schools engaging with schools in another country. Working with Amawele’s staff, and board, Mark’s vision is to develop meaningful partnerships between school communities in South Africa and Ireland, enabling the learning, sharing and experiencing of local knowledge and issues. Through Mark’s support, he has facilitated meetings with interested parties, has created funding opportunities for the organisation and has established a fundraising committee.

Amawele facilitates partnerships between schools in Ireland and South Africa, to promote cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. Each school is twinned with one other, and the students and teachers exchange information to gain insight into some of the practical realities facing their counterparts.
Amawele is currently working with nearly 100 schools in the Eastern and Western Capes, that are now twinned with schools in Ireland identifying needs and supporting them through developing facilities, materials, training, food and healthcare.. The main focus is on raising the number of young people in South Africa who have access to properly structured education at both primary and second level.

Amawele´s aim in Ireland is to give Irish young people the opportunity to grow in understanding about the world in which they live and to develop a confidence about the difference that they as individuals, and their communities, can make in the world and in their own lives.

When a school builds a partnership with a school in another culture, it gains access to a whole new range of ideas, thoughts and experiences. Classes, sport, facilities and timetables are suddenly seen through a different set of eyes to those of that school’s pupils and teachers.

By helping to twin South African and Irish schools, Amawele is fostering a greater awareness of global issues, through real people and real experiences. We believe this enrichment of a curriculum benefits pupils and teachers from both communities – culturally, morally and socially.

Life is about people. Amawele’s twinning programme is about celebrating young people’s lives, broadening their horizons and fostering global citizenship.

Amawele does not simply consist of ‘Irish’ and ‘South African’ schools. Each school within the growing community has its own circumstances, location and story to tell.

Primarily, Amawele is a channel of communication. The primary resources Amawele offers those schools, therefore, are the website, liaison between schools, information and the administration resources of the Amawele offices.

Outside of the actual school network, Amawele will be helping young South Africans to access and benefit from education. This support ranges from facilities and materials within schools, to teacher training, and to food and support structures within the home.

DTZ continues to support AMAWELE by providing office space for the charity in Dublin.

DTZ Sweden supports Swedish cancer research by donating to the Swedish Cancer Society. DTZ’s effort is an important contribution in the fight against cancer.

About the Swedish Cancer Society

The Swedish Cancer Society is an independent non-profit organization with the vision of finding cures for cancer. The overall aim of the Society is to achieve a higher survival rate and a reduction in the incidence of cancer. Its main task is to raise and distribute money for cancer research. As the single largest financer of cancer research in Sweden, the Swedish Cancer Society essentially acts as a national research council.

Fundraising

As a non-profit organization, the Swedish Cancer Society receives no government funding and is therefore entirely dependent on donations. In 2011, the Society raised SEK 443 million. The main bulk of donations come from private individuals and companies, although legacies represent a significant proportion. In 2011, more than half of the total donations came from legacies. The donors can choose between a dozen different ways to support the Swedish Cancer Society. Fundraising activities are constantly developing to improve effectiveness.

The best-known and most widely spread fundraising activity is the Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer. Companies, organizations and private individuals all over Sweden take part in all kinds of different fundraising activities in the campaign month, which is October. The aim of the campaign is to finance research, increase awareness of breast cancer, and arouse public opinion within the breast cancer area.

The Swedish Cancer Society also aims to increase knowledge about the non-profit sector in general. Non-profit organizations operate under different conditions to public services and the private sector, and for as long as knowledge of their situation remains poor, non-profit bodies are obliged to adapt to the rules of play of other sectors. Along with 125 other fundraising organizations, the Swedish Cancer Society is a member of the Swedish Fundraising Council.

The mission of the Swedish Fundraising Council is to promote ethical and professional fundraising and improve the conditions for fundraising through political lobbying and negotiating with commercial suppliers. Ethical questions related to fundraising are very important, and the Swedish Fundraising Council has worked out standards and a code of conduct for its members. Since 2003, the Swedish Cancer Society has been certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2000, an international quality code, and is inspected in accordance with this international standard each year. http://www.cancerfonden.se/sv/